Doris Hobday: Identical twin among UK's oldest dies with Covid

A 96-year-old identical twin has died after contracting coronavirus.

Doris Hobday and her twin sister Lilian Cox, known as the Tipton Twins, were admitted to hospital after testing positive earlier this month.

Her family said Mrs Hobday had died on 5 January, adding they were "totally heartbroken to lose Doris in this way".

Mrs Cox has since been discharged from hospital and is continuing to recover, the family said. The siblings were among the UK's oldest living twins.

Doris Hobday died in hospital on 5 January, her family has announced

"We are so grateful for all the special memories we have created and got to share with you all," the family said in a statement.

The twins, from Tipton, West Midlands, became popular figures online with their positive outlook on life and sense of humour.

Tipton Twins Doris and Lilian both tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this month

They appeared on BBC Breakfast, ITV's Good Morning Britain and This Morning, charming presenters with jokes about wearing their drawers inside out and their love for actor Jason Statham.

Lilian and Doris said they did everything together. They lived in the same street after getting married, worked together at an ale-making factory in Birmingham and more recently lived next to one another at sheltered accommodation in Tipton.

Speaking to the BBC on their 95th birthday, Lilian revealed her sister's secret to a long life was "no sex and plenty of Guinness" - her own being simply "lemonade".

Doris Hobday's family said she had passed away peacefully and they were grateful for all their memories with her

"Doris will be laid to rest with her husband who she lost 11 years ago after 65 years of happy marriage," her family said.

A crowdfunding page has been set up in Mrs Hobday's memory, with funds raised being donated to The Beacon Centre for the Blind, which supported her late husband Raymond for 20 years.

Doris will be buried next to her husband Ray, who, along with half a Guinness, was "her favourite thing"

The family said Mrs Cox had only been told of her sister's death on Monday, "once she was strong enough to take the news".

"She is now being comforted by family and staying with her daughter Vivien while she fully regains her strength."

"Both were determined to live until 100, they had so much to look forward to," their family said. "It's just so cruel that Covid has stopped Doris like this."